Let's Begin The Class Trial!

Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

This a very unique and interesting game developed by Spike Chunsoft that's filled with despair, hilarity and full on addiction. Dangan Ronpa is technically a murder mystery visual novel - however it almost makes a genre of it's own with it's incredibly different gameplay style. In a nutshell, the game is about a group of students trapped in a school where murder is the only way to escape. But it is so much more than just that.

Hope's Peak Academy is a high school for Ultimates. Students from very weird categories that if I'm honest, I'm not even sure how you'd measure, (The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader), are enrolled and expected to hone their ultimate abilities. The games cast wake up in Hope's Peak with all the doors and windows completely bolted shut, and are told by Monokuma (literally a monochrome bear) that they have to participate in a killing game. To escape a character must kill another and get away with it. So as you can guess - murders happen.

Dangan Ronpa contains outstanding characters, with incredibly in-depth personalities. The character development (for those who live long enough) is beautiful and really gets you attached to the characters, praying with every new chapter that your favourite won't kill or be killed. And this is how Spike Chunsoft get you so addicted to the game. With it's interesting storyline focusing on Hope and Despair (to the point of getting sick of these words), quirky, fun, and mildly depressing gameplay, and loveable (and detestable) characters, Dangan Ronpa drags you in to a world of sleepless nights and tears.

Going on gameplay, Dangan Ronpa's can be split into three different categories `Free Time`, `Investigation`, and `Class Trial`. Each one differing completely from the other. `Free Time` Occurs a few times in each chapter before a murder, and gives you the chance to deepen your relationship with one of your class mates, allowing you to unlock skills that will help in `Class Trials`. `Investigation` occurs, as you probably guessed, after a murder, where the player has to find a sufficient amount of evidence to start the class trial, this involves going around Hope's Peak to get statements and find little bits of evidence (some a bit ridiculous and hard to believe a murderer would actually leave it at the crime scene). `Class Trials` Are where the player must use their skills and `Truth Bullets` to shoot holes in any contradictions that they see during a non-stop debate.

An Anime adaptation of Dangan Ronpa also exist and is perfect for those who wish to experience the despair of Dangan Ronpa but do not own a Playstation Vita. I started with the Anime adaptation without realising that the game was coming out in English shortly after. It does cut out most of the in depth character development (leaving a reason to still play the game if you get the chance) but otherwise for a game-come-tv-show it works ridiculously well (something I never thought I'd say about a game-come-tv-show)

Overall, if you love gripping storyline that leaves you on the edge of your seat, and loveable characters that may or may not get torn away from you in the blink of an eye - then Dangan Ronpa is the game for you! It has it's faults, sometimes the story progresses so slowly and it can take a good 5 hours before you actually get anywhere at the beginning, but still it's worth pressing through for such a detailed game filled with despair inducing plot twists!